DEIR BALA, Gaza Strip (AP) — A grandmother and her 5-year-old grandson were burned to death when their tent caught fire in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians battle harsh winter conditions in crude makeshift housing as a humanitarian crisis persists.
A neighbor said a nylon tent caught fire in Yarmouk on Thursday night due to cooking.
A 12-week ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas at the start of 2026 has essentially ended Israel’s massive bombing of Gaza. But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli artillery fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line under Israeli control, while frequent winter rains and freezing temperatures have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis.
American actress and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on Friday. It is the territory’s only crossing point with countries other than Israel, and it remains closed despite Palestinian demands to reopen it to the people and provide aid.
Cold weather hits tent city
Cold winter rains have repeatedly battered the sprawling tent cities over the past few weeks, causing flooding, turning Gaza’s dirt roads to mud and causing buildings damaged by Israeli bombings to collapse. Unicef said at least six children have died from weather-related causes, including a 4-year-old who died in a building collapse.
At least three children have died from hypothermia, according to Gaza’s health ministry. High temperatures in December reach 60 F (15-20 C), but can drop to 40 F (6-8 C) on some nights.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are entering Gaza during the truce. The Israeli military recently released figures showing it was not complying with ceasefire rules that allow 600 trucks to bring aid into Gaza each day, although Israel disputes the finding. There are also concerns that Israel’s recent suspension of operations in Gaza by more than three dozen international aid groups will make the delivery of tents and other supplies more difficult.
Palestinians have long called for mobile homes and caravans to be allowed in to protect them from living in impractical and dilapidated tents. In Yarmouk, people live in nylon tents near a garbage dump.
Ashraf al-Suwair said he was woken by screams as neighbors shouted “Fire! Fire!” He said nylon was like fuel and could easily ignite. “We need a nice place for the people and children of Gaza, not to be burned to death,” he said.
Actors visit Rafah Crossing
Jolie met with Red Crescent members on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing before visiting a hospital in the nearby city of El-Arish on Friday to speak with Palestinian patients, according to Egyptian officials.
Reopening the crossing would allow Palestinians to leave Gaza, especially the sick and wounded who do not have access to specialized care in the area, which has been controversial. Israel says Palestinians will only be allowed to leave Gaza, but not enter, until Gaza militants return all the hostages they took in the attack that triggered the war on October 7, 2023. The body of one hostage remains in Gaza.
Additionally, Israel says Palestinians who want to leave Gaza must obtain approval from Israeli and Egyptian security services. Egypt, meanwhile, has said it wants the crossing to be opened immediately in both directions so that Egyptian Palestinians can enter Gaza. This stance stems from Egypt’s strong opposition to the permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees in the country.
For more than two decades until 2022, Jolie served as a special envoy to the United Nations refugee agency. She continued to advocate for human rights issues and visited conflict zones, including Ukraine.
Foreign minister says Gaza isn’t getting the help it needs
On Friday, the foreign ministers of Arab and Muslim countries, including Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The situation is compounded “by the continued lack of adequate humanitarian access, critical shortages of essential life-saving supplies and the slow entry of essential supplies,” the joint statement said.
Israel has said throughout the war that Hamas was siphoning aid, a charge the United Nations and aid groups deny. Last month, the World Food Program said food security in Gaza had “significantly improved” since the ceasefire.
Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, 416 people have been killed and 1,142 injured in Gaza, according to the health ministry. The total number of Palestinian war-related deaths is at least 71,271. The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians when counting people, is staffed by medical professionals and keeps detailed records that are generally considered reliable by the international community.
The war between Israel and Hamas began with a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7 that left some 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.
west bank attack
Meanwhile, Israel continues its activities in the occupied West Bank.
On Friday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said Israel had carried out multiple attacks across the territory, including in major cities such as Ramallah and Hebron. At least 50 Palestinians were arrested on Thursday, mostly in the Ramallah area, and nearly 50 were detained.
The Israeli military said it had arrested people “involved in terrorist activities.” A Palestinian attacker rammed a car into a man before stabbing a young woman on Friday afternoon in northern Israel, killing two people, police said. The attackers then carried out attacks in their homes in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners Association said Israel has arrested 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem this year and 21,000 since the war began. Israel has not released the number of people arrested from Gaza.
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